The song used is Merry Go 'Round by Kacey Musgraves.
If you ain't got two kids by 21,
You're probably gonna die alone
Least that's what tradition told you
And it don't matter if you don't believe,
Come Sunday morning, you best be there in the front row like you're supposed to
2021
Kari stepped into the empty apartment, her voice echoing back at her, "I came home."
The only occupant, the fat gray cat still sleeping on the couch, was curled up in the late afternoon sun. She didn't even flick her ears as Kari passed by, the young wife collapsing next to the cat with a weary noise.
"You could at least meow at me to feed you, Mr. Tinkles," Kari grumbled, reaching over to pet silky fur. The cat "blew"ed and curled even tighter into her tail, ignoring the gentle caressing. Kari stuck out her tongue at the animal and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table. Kazuki was staying after school for tutoring, Lucian was trying out for the Basketball Club, and TK was in the hospital, waiting for Nancy to get out of her latest round of Chemotherapy. So there was noone around to tell her she was being rude.
"So there," she pouted at the blank TV. She didn't even feel like turning it on. For the first time in years she had the place all to herself, and she couldn't even find the strength to enjoy it.
She was just so constantly wiped, steeling herself to be the perfect wife, mother, teacher, she could be. She glanced to her cell phone, wondering if she should call her brother's house. Usually when she got into this kind of mood, a night out with the girls would set her right.
But when she dialed, Yolie was stuck with two sick kids while Ken was undercover, Mimi was in Peru for character research for her latest film, and even Izzy was enjoying his daughter's first junior soccer match.
"It's fine, it's fine," she said with a tired laugh as her brother-in-law apologized over Tai's cheering. She didn't want Izzy to know she was upset. "I'll catch you all next time, ok?"
But she wasn't sure when "next time" could be. All alone in her apartment, she couldn't find that Light she used to so proudly shine with. She could feel the sob begin in her chest, hands trembling as she reached up to wipe away her tears.
Same hurt in every heart
Same trailer, different park
She jumped suddenly at the sound of her ringtone going off, and she sniffled at her phone. Was it one of the girls calling her back?
"Hello?" she called, hoping her sadness wasn't creeping through to her words.
"Hey, dudette!" came the overly-cheery voice she could recognize in an instant. "What's happening?"
"Hey, Davis." What was it about the man that could cheer her up in an instant? "How are you and Daimu today?"
"Doin' great. I just dropped Daimu off at that v-pet competition thing going on at the comic book store. But there are way too many nerds there for me to hang around, so I thought I'd bug my friends."
"Are you planning on doing anything in particular?" Kari asked, feeling the restlessness in her legs begin to fade.
"Eh. I've probably got a couple hours to kill. Daimu always makes it to the semi-finals, at least, and there was a metric butt-ton of little dweebs there he's gonna have to fight. I probably have enough time to catch a movie or something..."
"W-well, for once I've got some time to myself, too," Kari heard herself saying. "Why don't we go to a cafe or something and have coffee?"
"That sounds ballin'!" She listened as Davis murmured something to himself, snapping his fingers in thought. "Hey, Cafe Myuu Mew is still open, why don't we go there?"
"That sounds wonderful. Give me about ten minutes to get changed and I'll meet you there."
"Great! I'll see you there!"
Kari hung up the phone, not even realizing just how much she was smiling. She practically floated across the apartment, deciding on what she would wear, when she noticed the calendar hanging next to the TV. Every Thursday there was a tiny, inconspicuous mark, and she almost felt ill when she realized that was today. Her coffee-date would surely have to be cut short so she wouldn't be late, or else TK would be in a bad mood.
Mama's hooked on Mary Kay
Brother's hooked on Mary Jane
Daddy's hooked on Mary two doors down.
Mary, Mary quite contrary
We get bored so we get married
Just like dust, we settle in this town
On this broken merry go 'round and 'round and 'round we go
Where it stops nobody knows and it ain't slowin' down
This merry go 'round
"This place looks the same as it did back when we were in high school," Kari said to herself with a laugh as she walked up to the small cafe. She spied Davis sitting on a bench just outside, looking rather handsome even just in a pair of jeans and a long sleeve white dress shirt. He was looking over his shoulder in the opposite direction, not noticing Kari until she reached out to playfully pinch his earlobe.
Davis yelped, almost jumping out of his skin as Kari giggled at him.
"Hey there, lady," he said, suddenly finding his own laughter the moment he recognized her. "Wow, I didn't realize teachers could look so pretty."
Kari blushed and looked to her feet. She'd only changed into a pair of slacks and an old pink sweater, nothing she'd thought too fancy. She hadn't even reapplied her makeup, honest.
"Oh hush, you," she said with mock-sternness. She waggled her finger at him like she'd done to countless kids. "You're going to have to work on your manners, mister."
"Sorry, Mrs. Takaishi," Davis whined with a grin, sounding like any one of her spoiled brats she had to babysit for eight hours a day.
Kari swatted him on the shoulder and they laughed together. Davis stood, offering his arm and Kari took it with a warm smile. She felt like a giddy schoolgirl as they entered the cafe, a young woman in a maid outfit showing them to a table.
"This place hasn't really changed at all, has it?" Kari asked as another waitress brought them menus. "Even after Natsumi's family sold it." Davis looked to the table, a sad expression crossing his face, and Kari immediately felt terrible. "Davis, I didn't mean..."
"No, no," Davis said, brightening and waving her off. "Don't worry about it, Kari. Natsumi's been gone for nine years, I can't let it bring me down forever. I have to find a way to move on..."
But even with his words, the brunette was absently twisting the gold band around his finger.
"Oh, I... I didn't realize you still wore it," Kari breathed.
Davis scratched his head with a sheepish chuckle. "I know, I know... I probably should have pawned it or something years ago."
"That's not what I meant," Kari said. The waitress reappeared, taking their order and their menus. "I just think it's very sweet that you keep her so close to you."
"She gave me my son and inspired me to open my first noodle cart," Davis said with a simplicity that said he'd never thought any other way. He laughed and rolled up his sleeve, showing off the stylized tattoo of Flamedramon that covered his arm from shoulder to wrist. "Hell, she actually encouraged me to get this damned thing finished after Matt dragged me off to get it started. 'Wedding present' my ass, he was the one that wanted to get inked and didn't care that I was only seventeen." He paused for a moment, shaking the bittersweet memories from his mind. "It doesn't matter that she died, you know, because she'll always be with me. Just like Veemon."
"Davis, do you still hold out hope?" Kari asked, leaning forward. Her husband has lost his Hope so long ago... "Even after all this time?"
"Of course." Davis grinned widely, looking every bit like he had when he was ten as he rolled his sleeve back down, leaving the cuff unbuttoned to show off the flames dancing at his wrist. "I promised Veemon I'd never forget him, and he promised we'd meet again. And we're not the types to break our promises to each other."
Two cups were placed before them, Davis turning to say something to the waitress, and Kari suddenly realized just how intensely she was hanging on the man's every word. She blushed, quickly sipping at her coffee so as to appear interested in anything else. She tried to think of TK, of her children, telling herself sternly that they would be getting home soon, and she should be there to greet them.
But then Davis turned that attention back to her, and that tingling, electric feeling that filled her with joy came back, wiping all thoughts of her husband aside.
"Enough about me, why don't you tell me about your family? We haven't actually hung out like this in years, you know?" Davis said, stirring his coffee. He looked so at ease with himself, so sure of his every move. He never questioned his own motives, never did anything he didn't want to do, never said anything he didn't mean. Suddenly, Kari felt like such an impostor in her own life.
"My kids are wonderful," she said, trying to find herself again. "Lucian is a sweetheart, always looking out for Kazuki. They just had their First Communion not too long ago, and TK and I were so proud of them."
"How is TB, anyway?" Davis swallowed half his coffee in one gulp, almost choking on it. "Last I heard, he was being some kind of butthole to everyone else."
"TK's sweet, no matter what everyone else says," Kari defended automatically. "He's just in a bad mood lately because Nancy's cancer has come back."
"Came back?" Davis blinked. "I didn't know she was sick in the first place."
"It was a long time ago, apparently. But she's going to Chemo, and TK spends so much of his time there with her that he almost forgets to go to Church sometimes." Kari tried to laugh, but ended up sighing. "He keeps saying she's going to get better, but when I went to visit her..." She shook her head. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him when it happens."
"TK's a big boy," Davis told her, tone holding no malice at all. "All you can do is just be there for him."
"Y-you're right..." Kari sipped her drink as Davis smiled. Sometimes, he just simply knew what to say.
We think the first time's good enough
So we hold on to high school love
Sayin' we won't end up like our parents
Kari knew what was to happen that night. It occurred, scheduled on the calendar once a week, just like it had every week since their high school graduation and subsequent marriage ceremony. Lucian and Kazuki would be tucked into bed, the cat would be kicked out to roam the living room freely, and Kari would wait for TK to turn out the light before undressing.
It never felt bad, and TK always asked her permission first in his awkward tone he used whenever he had to discuss something that didn't sit well with his dogma. And Kari did hold him close as he moved on top of her, enjoying her husband's embrace. She made all the appropriate wifely noises, gentle sighs and soft moans at all the right moments, and there were even times she could feel that surge of utter pleasure before her husband finished and pulled away, like he wasn't sure what to do next.
And this night was no different than any of the others. TK, exhausted from the hospital, mind swirling with dark thoughts of what would happen in the future, still waited for her to undress. She still exposed herself to absolute darkness, taking her husband by the hand to lead him to the proper places. Any preceding act was done with absolute embarrassment and with the intent of making the final consummation easier for them both, but it was often disregarded on both ends.
Kari lay back on the mattress as she always did. That same spring that stabbed her in the shoulder began it's malicious prodding once more. Her legs spread to their usual position and TK's familiar weight began to gently sway. The young woman let her hands slide up her husband's sides, feeling his breath quicken as she made the proper sounds that a wife in the throws of passion might make.
She could feel that warm tingle deep in her stomach, but with the way TK was already moving faster, more desperately, she knew there would be no completion for her tonight. But that was ok.
TK needed it more than she did.
Tiny little boxes in a row
Ain't what you want, it's what you know
Just happy in the shoes you're wearin'
Same checks we're always cashin' to buy a little more distraction
It was only a week later, but Kari found herself just as excited the second time Davis called.
"Hi," she greeted cheerily. "How are you and Daimu today?"
"We're doing great, aren't we buddy?" Davis replied, and a tiny voice called into the speaker, "Hi, Mrs. Takaishi."
"Are you on the road again, Davis?" Kari asked, hearing the faint sounds of the radio and the heart-wrenchingly familiar sounds of a digital device being played with.
"Yup, about to drop my little nerd off with his nerd buddies again," Davis laughed and Kari could hear his son whining. She could tell there was no true intent to insult, only to play. "Apparently last week there was some kind of glitch in the finals round, or some junk like that, so Daimu gets to fight for his title as King Dweeb again."
"It's not fair, Pop," Daimu could be heard whining. "I beat Akaji fair and square last time. It's the judge's fault that she wasn't paying attention when my Zeromaru won."
"Well, now you get to beat him all over again, don't you?" There was the sound of static and a child's whining and Kari knew Davis was rustling his son's hair.
"Are you planning on staying and watching the match?" Kari asked, thinking to her own children. Lucian was being held after school for beating up a kid that had been making fun of Kazuki for his hair and eyes, and Kari had made TK go to the conference in her stead, claiming she had plenty of work to do for her class. She hoped that her husband wouldn't find out she'd been waiting to see if Davis would call again.
"What d'ya think, kiddo?" Davis asked. "You want your Pop there cheering you on, again?"
"Not after last time," Daimu said, and Kari could feel the embarrassment dripping from his every word as Davis laughed.
"Then why don't you and I meet up at the cafe again?" Kari offered. "I had fun catching up with you before."
"That sounds great, Kari. I can be there in about twenty minutes."
"Great!" Kari swallowed her excitement. "I'll see you soon."
She clicked her cell to end the conversation, running across the apartment to her closet. She didn't even question herself when she pulled on a deep pink babydoll with a plunging neckline and her favorite black skirt that made TK embarrassed to walk next to her. She didn't want to think about it when she grabbed the boots Mimi had bought for her that made her legs look better than the starlet's and perked up her rear in ways that made even Yolie swoon. It wasn't until she was blotting her lipstick that she even allowed herself to pause.
She hadn't dolled up like this for TK in a long, long time. Even when they went on their monthly double date with Ken and Yolie, Kari would barely line her eyes or wear heels. She bit the inside of her lip, rationalizing desperately, 'Last time I was in such a rush, I looked so dumpy. I don't want Davis to think I don't care enough about him to look nice.'
That sounded right. The nicer she made herself up, the more it meant she cared about their relationship. Their friendship.
She shook the thoughts from her head before they could reveal their truth to her. If she didn't leave now, she would be late.
Cause Mama's hooked on Mary Kay
Brother's hooked on Mary Jane
Daddy's hooked on Mary two doors down.
Mary, Mary quite contrary
We get bored so we get married
Just like dust, we settle in this town
On this broken merry go 'round and 'round and 'round we go
Where it stops nobody knows and it ain't slowin' down
This merry go 'round
Once again, Kari felt the unsure embrace of her husband. She made a noise of contentment, staring into the darkness as he shifted. Her hands were placed loosely on his shoulders, and she remembered that she needed to get with the girls again to so to the salon. She smiled as she thought about trying to possibly convince Izzy to wax his legs after his ordeal with his eyebrows.
TK pressed his forehead against the crook of her neck and she leaned against his hair with a gentle murmur. He'd come home in a good mood that afternoon for once, and she could tell he was going to take his time.
Kari shifted her shoulders to try and move away from that damned spring and TK paused, asking softly, "Kari...?"
"I'm fine," the woman tried to purr, to entice like a wife should. "Keep going..."
There was a moment of hesitation, and Kari realized she needed to be more assertive, more passionate. She wrapped one leg around his waist to pull him closer, running her thigh along his hip. Even in the darkness, she smiled at him and she could see him blushing. Great, had she pushed him too far again? She didn't want to have another argument about the dangers of lust...
But TK shook his head and resumed his motions, allowing Kari to drift away in her mind once more.
She thought back, recalling her coffee-date with Davis and heard herself sigh with warm contentment. He had been in the same jeans as last time, but had switched out for a blue polo, tattoo fully displayed with pride despite the odd looks of people passing by. He'd greeted her with the same excitement as last time, as though it had been months instead of just days since the last time he'd seen Kari.
They had been seated at the same table as before, the same waitress remembering them with a friendly smile. Davis had eagerly leapt into the tale of his son's latest obsession with model kits.
"I'm still paying off that drum set I bought him a few weeks ago when he decided he wanted to be in a band," the man had laughed, making Kari's cheeks warm. "Someday, I swear I'll learn that when Daimu says 'I want' to wait a few days to see if he still does."
"Sounds like he just wants to try a bit of everything," Kari had said.
"I know, right? This v-pet thing of his has been the longest lasting, though." Davis looked to his drink, smiling as memories began swirling in his head. "It's like, after I told him all about the Digital World, he wants to get his own Digimon and have the same grand adventures."
"But, he knows about BlackWarGreymon and the gates, right?" Kari hadn't thought Davis could forget those small details.
"Of course I told him. But you know what he said? He told me, 'Where there's a will, there's a way.' And he's right, you know? We can't ever give up hope, no matter what."
And then he'd smiled. That dazzling, brilliant smile that left Kari breathless.
Even now, in the dark with her husband, that grin could affect her. Her heart beat just a bit quicker, and her breath hitched.
It wasn't just his smile, either. The way the sunlight made his hair glow, like the halo of one of TK's angels, or the way joy danced in his dark eyes no matter how bleak the world around him became. Or even the sound of his laugh, bright and full as though nothing could ever bring him down, the strength of his hands as he reached out to pat her on the shoulder goodbye...
As TK moved and murmured, Kari felt her eyes slip closed. She was no longer in the darkness of her bedroom, the kids no longer shooed to their room with expressions that told her they'd long since figured out what those odd marks on the calendar were for. Instead, she was in a bright, airy hotel room, or even on a warm, sunny beach. She wasn't forced to hide her natural, human desires for certain contacts.
Her blonde haired, blue eyed husband was gone. His insistence of purity and propriety wasn't a shackle that bound her to a life devoid of physical passion and spontaneity.
Instead, behind her eyelids, she was looking at a man who oozed excitement, who loved with all his heart and showed it to the world, damn those who didn't approve.
TK's hand moved tentatively, and Davis' fingers trailed along her shoulder. Her husband moved his lips to her ear, and the other man's voice whispered into her mind, "I love you, Kari."
"I... I..." Could she trust herself to say anything correctly? Her head tilted back, and she was breathing heavily, that tingling in her stomach quickly becoming overwhelming. Her toes curled and she pulled her lover closer, almost able to smell the unfamiliar cologne that adorned that wonderfully tanned flesh. She clenched her teeth and tried to swallow the passionate squeal as everything within her finally felt alive for the first time in a long time.
It was afterward, as TK rolled off her and pulled her close in a tight embrace, that she realized what she'd done. Her husband was kissing her damp forehead, running his fingers though her hair, and he murmured warmly, "It's been a while since you've done that..."
Kari had never felt so guilty in her life.
Mary, Mary quite contrary
We're so bored until we're buried
Just like dust we settle in this town
On this broken merry go 'round
Merry go 'round
For days after, Kari tried to convince herself that she hadn't meant to. She told herself over and over, that it was a one time thing, brought on by a lack of bedroom excitement combined with running into an old friend for the first time in a while. She told herself that she was a good mother, that she was still a good wife.
But she couldn't stop those nagging thoughts late at night when sleep eluded her. The ones that told her that TK was so awkward because he'd never allowed himself those experiences. He'd been so eager to start a family, to be a wonderful husband and father, that he'd never learned how to be a good boyfriend or lover.
She tried not to let it affect her, to let it interfere with how she saw her own family. But after a while, there was nothing left to admit but one thing.
She didn't love TK. Not in the way she was expected to.
She supposed she'd agreed to marry him because that's what everyone had always foreseen of her. Ever since her short adventure on Spiral Mountain, even their own brothers had joked about becoming in-laws one day. When Davis had moved to Odaiba Elementary all those years ago, she'd already been spoken for, as though in some kind of arranged marriage.
Yes, TK was her dear friend, and she wouldn't trade her children for anything in the world, but still... Despite being a mother, wife, and teacher, she was above all things a woman. She had needs that she wasn't sure TK knew existed, let alone could fulfill.
But could she really do something like this?
She told herself time and time again that week, that she should put Davis out of her mind, that the less she saw him, the weaker those damned feelings for him would get. After enough time apart, just like before, she could fall back into her usual dull pattern that had become her life ten years ago when she'd first gotten married.
But then TK had called Matt.
There had been a tentative truce a few years ago, that summer day Kazuki and Hanako had played together in the park. Then Nancy's health had fallen again, and she'd ended up in the hospital. Kari shuddered at the memory of her visit, still trying desperately to ignore the disgusting things she was certain her mother-in-law thought about. TK, always wanting to be part of a family, had told Matt to visit her. The older brother had said not just "no", but "hell no" along with several other choice expletives, and another argument had broken out, another cold war had been declared.
This time, TK had been the one to brave the yelling, the fighting, to call and say Nancy's Chemo was going well, no thanks to his brother's lack of support. Kari hadn't been able to hear the exact words, but Matt's voice over the phone had made TK's cell vibrate, her husband whipping it away from his ear before he went deaf. There had been a few more exchanged curses before TK hung up without warning, flinging his phone to the couch in disgust. He grabbed his coat and slammed the door behind him, and Kari knew he would be in Confession for hours, purging not only his soul, but laying his brother's before God as well.
She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to go down there and drag her husband home and tell him to stop being a spoiled jerk.
What she did, however, was reassure her children that their father would be coming home. She gave them a few yen to go see a movie to get their minds off everything and, when they were safely on the elevator, she grabbed her own cell.
"This is Davis," came the quick answer, as though he'd been expecting her call.
"Hey, ah, it's Kari," she said, sinking into the chair that overlooked the shadowboxes containing her children's renditions of her soul-bonded friend. She cursed the waver in her voice, her own constant indecision. This was something she would do for herself – the first thing she would do for herself. "What are you up to?"
"Just trying to figure out how I let myself buy five model kits and twenty bottles of paint when I said I wouldn't," Davis laughed. "God knows by next week Daimu won't've touched but one of 'em. Why, what's up?"
"I was just wondering, since you been so nice to take me out the past couple of weeks, if you wouldn't mind me repaying you." Kari swallowed hard. This was it. If she didn't do this now, she'd never give herself the courage to later. "I can make you dinner tonight. As a thank you."
"That sounds awesome," Davis said quickly, not taking the time to think about it. What was there to question, after all? "You want me to bring Daimu?"
"Uh, I..." She hadn't thought about his son...
But Davis took her indecision with his usual mirth. "Tired of seeing kids all day, huh? Don't worry, I can call a sitter for a few hours and we can have us some good, old fashioned adult time."
Kari blushed furiously, mind immediately racing to what "adult time" she wanted to spend with him. "Can you be here in, say, about an hour?" Any longer and she wasn't sure she'd be able to do this.
"Sounds great! I'll see you then. Hey, Daimu, I'm-!" And with that, the line clicked dead.
Kari dropped the phone in her lap, holding her head in her palms with a shuddering sigh. She couldn't fall apart now, not when she had so much to prepare.
Dinner was something she'd been planning all day, even before this explosion of sin took hold, so it wasn't long to cook. Cauliflower cut up to steam with fresh pepper and large cloves of garlic, thick slabs of salmon dressed with rosemary and lemon, wild rice in the cooker, and even homemade lemon mousse was in the fridge to set. She jumped in the shower to wash away the smell of the kitchen, and fought with her waist-length hair for ten minutes, wondering if she should put it up to reveal her intentions right away, or leave it as she always did so as to play it by ear.
Davis had never looked twice at a woman with perfectly styled hair, so she tossed it with her fingers for a bit of volume and pulled on the gown she'd chosen to wear. Spaghetti straps were nearly invisible on her shoulders, the neckline cut so low, none of her bras could be worn with it (and she quickly tossed aside the thought that she didn't want to have to waste time taking it off later, anyway), the richly pink fabric clinging to her chest and torso only to fall in enticing waves to her ankles. A split in the side all the way to her thigh revealed her stockings, held in place by a seductive black garter belt she'd bought with the girls even when she never thought she'd have anyone to use it on.
She lined her lips and eyes, using every makeup trick Mimi had taught her to make herself glow, her eyes pop, her lips as luscious as they could be. She fussed and fretted with herself, wondering if she should have called Yolie to help. But what would she tell her friend? That she needed help to seduce a man that wasn't her husband?
She pulled dinner from the oven and set the table, leaving the lights low so that the candles she lit could give the small apartment a romantic glow it had never seen before. And finally, to make sure she could go though with everything, she poured two glasses of wine just as there was a knock on the door.
Kari steeled her nerves with a quick swig straight from the bottle, pausing at the tiny mirror above the key hooks to make sure she hadn't destroyed her hard work on her lipstick, and opened the door with a gentle smile.
Davis, still in those jeans (Did he own no other pants? she thought and bit back a giggle) and a dark blue dress shirt, beamed at her, the expression the same as though they had sat next to each other on the train by chance.
"'Sup, Kari?" he greeted and she stepped aside to let him in. He looked around the apartment for the first time, gaze lingering momentarily on the stuffed animals that matched the one Mimi had made for Daimu and even as he looked away, his fingers still reached out to absently touch his tattoo. "Did your electricity go out?"
"N-no." Kari tried to giggle, but it stuck in her throat as her mind slowly began to realize what she was doing. What she was hoping would happen. "It's just that my, ah, eyes are a little sensitive tonight."
"That sucks," Davis stated, pausing to take off his shoes. "You feelin' ok?"
"I'll be just fine. I think it's just a bit of strain." Kari bravely took Davis by the hand, leading him to the table. She almost wished she'd had flowers to set out as well. "Nothing a nice meal can't take care of."
"This smells great," Davis cheered. He quickly dug into his plate, eagerly murmuring his enjoyment. "It tastes even better. Man, I didn't know you knew how to cook this well, Kari."
"It's just something I picked up," Kari responded with a certain honesty. After all, wasn't that was tonight was for? To finally be honest with herself? She sipped her wine, watching Davis drink his.
Conversation was light between the adults. Davis asked after her children, and she told him they were out with their father. "Some church thing. But with my eyes the way they are, I couldn't make it."
"They're the ones missing out," Davis decreed. He finished his drink, and Kari immediately refilled it, as well as adding to her own glass. She didn't want them to be stumbling down drunk, but she still needed to loosen herself, let herself continue to believe this was a good idea.
Even dessert was met with such unfamiliar appreciation, that Kari was blushing warmly the whole time. TK and her children just seemed to expect Kari to do all these things, so Davis' compliments were just adding to her internal fire. Another glass was finished, and the woman insisted they move to the couch to continue their conversation. She'd wanted to say bedroom, but her lips had stumbled over the unfamiliar drink.
"Daimu's a good kid," Davis was telling her as they settled. The man leaned back, holding his near empty glass in his lap. Kari settled herself against the arm so as to face him, legs hanging off the side to show off the straps to her garter belt. "I always thought he would need a mother, but he seems to have grown up ok."
"Because you're such a good father," Kari insisted. She set her glass down on the coffee table, reaching out to put her hand on his thigh. "And just... a good person in general."
"Thanks, dudette," Davis said. He gave a smile, reaching over to squeeze her hand. He was trembling slightly as Kari moved closer to him. "It means a lot when you say that... It always has..."
"Davis, I..." Kari couldn't think through her fog addled brain. She shouldn't have drank so much, she knew, but this was the only way she could do anything like this. "Davis, I..."
"Yes, Kari?" Davis sounded like he knew what she wanted to say.
Kari took a deep breath. She couldn't get the words to come, so she did the only thing she could think of.
She closed her eyes and moved forward, pursed lips reaching out desperately...
Jack and Jill went up the hill
Jack burned out on booze and pills
And Mary had a little lamb
Mary just don't give a damn no more
… Only to press softly against a warm metal band.
Kari looked up, blinking through her drunken haze. Davis was still sitting there, looking at her with those warm eyes she'd come to love, but he'd quickly reached up, putting his hand between their lips.
Kari pulled away, touching her lips and looking at the pink splotch that covered Davis' palm and part of his old, scuffed wedding band.
"Davis...?"
"Kari, look..." Davis took her moment of confusion to stand quickly, knocking the coffee table and tipping over the empty wine glasses. He was frowning and the expression was quickly sobering her. "You're my best friend's wife. You're the mother of his children. I don't know what happened, if you two got into a fight or something -"
"N-no!" It couldn't go this way! "It's nothing like that. Davis..." Kari tried to stand, wobbling on her feet and collapsing back on the couch heavily. "I just realized. I mean, I've always known that I..."
But Davis was shaking his head, trying to cut her off. "I will admit, this is something I used to dream of as a kid, but... You're a married woman, Kari. As far as I'm concerned, I'm still a married man."
"But TK... He..." Kari cursed and wiped at her eyes. Davis offered her the box of tissues from the table, and she took one gratefully.
"Listen to me," the man she loved told her. "Maybe once, a long time ago, if you'd said something to me... Before TK, before Natsumi... But not now. I won't be the one to split up a family - not over something like this."
"Davis," Kari blurted, "I love y-!"
Davis knelt quickly, taking her hands in his. "Don't. Don't say something that you'll regret." He wasn't smiling, he wasn't frowning. He just looked concerned. And somehow that was the most heartbreaking expression of all. "You're my friend, Kari. TK's my friend. That's what this is, that's what this will be."
Kari bowed her head, too ashamed with herself to look him in the eye. Of course he would say that. He saw everything so plain and simple. She was taken. He'd been taken. Therefore, there was no way this would work. Even if she told him she'd leave TK this instant, he'd still deny her. He would never allow her to do these things without good reason.
But why couldn't love be a good enough reason?
The front door suddenly opened, and Kari looked up sharply as TK stepped inside. Suddenly, she could see things from where he stood. His wife, dressed up and crying, another man kneeling before her. Glasses of empty alcohol knocked to the floor, candles still burning low on the table.
"W-what...?" TK swallowed hard, hands shaking.
Kari wanted to cry, to scream at him all the things Davis wouldn't let her say. But the brunette man stood quickly, an easy smile curving his lips.
"Aw, man, TJ, you just missed it. I told Kari this afternoon about Daimu's ballin'-ass victory over that snobby Akaji jerk at the v-pet battles. She got all excited and wanted to throw him a party, but he was super wiped from the contest, so I told him I was gonna go and rub it in his face all the food he missed. I got here and Kari said her eyes hurt, so I suggested we use candles instead of the lights. Then I spilled my drink all over her, and the only thing she had clean was this super pretty dress. She said she wanted to show it to you for your anniversary or something, but haha, dude, I got to see it first."
TK blinked at the barrage of words, slowly trying to comprehend them. He turned to look at Kari, voice soft as he asked, "Is that right, Hikari?"
The young woman looked up. Davis was still wearing that same soft expression, the one she suddenly recognized from when he was a child. The one that hid all the hurt and sadness because he thought noone cared for him. She wanted to scream that it was wrong, that she was married to the wrong man, that she'd started a family with the wrong person.
She took a deep breath, found the strength within herself and said, "That's right. It was just a party for Daimu..."